Awesome spot! Great food, Great atmosphere. Always a good time here. Had the fish tacos with the flounder and it was delicious...Will be back! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

We enjoyed our dinner last year so much, we are going back this year, service was great and the food is really well done.

The wait was long but worth it! Great atmosphere - there was an outside bar to get a drink a band playing to entertain you. The service was great - Lorelei! The food was fantastic! I got the fried shrimp platter with fries and a Caesar salad, my boyfriend got the filet and mashed potatoes. read more

I had the crab soup. Coastal dreaming and tongue slapping is this cream of crab soup. This is why food memories marinate in your mind. One spoonful and you're engulfed with a bowl that feels like a warm seaside hug. Rich and silky texture that lets every drop (and crab pieces) cling to your spoon. The crab is generous, sweet, and unmistakably fresh, briny joy. What I loved most was how the seasoning danced with cream without being heavy. Flavorful with a whisper of the sea that never got fishy or overdone. Pair it with the side of bread that has to be ordered separately. Nathan is an amazing server and sometimes offer you some kitchen secrets aka (sweet butter). I would give it full stars if a lil heat had been added...but that's my palette. Awesome outdoor atmosphere with plenty of seating to look over the water and a tiki bar. Must visit!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Cream of Crab Soup - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

This review is difficult to write because there were things Rusty Hooks did very well. Unfortunately, a three-hour dinner with young children overshadowed them. We've visited before during the offseason and had a good experience, which is why we returned. We arrived at 5:45 PM and were told the wait would be about an hour. After a lengthy delay and a table change, we were finally seated at our preferred table around 7:24 PM. Our original table was directly in front of the live musician, making conversation difficult with children. To the staff's credit, they moved us inside and comped a few appetizers. The kids' meals arrived at 8:06 PM. The adult entrées arrived at 8:25 PM. We left at 8:50 PM. That's more than three hours from arrival to departure. The frustrating part is that the people were pleasant. The staff was friendly, and the manager stopped by to thank us for our patience. Nobody was rude or dismissive. The food was also very good. I ordered the combo platter with fried cod and fried shrimp, and it was excellent. Fresh seafood, cooked well, and easily the highlight of the evening. The problem was execution. This felt like a restaurant that was simply not prepared for peak summer demand. Great food and good intentions can only carry so much weight when a family spends over three hours getting through dinner. I hope the restaurant figures out the operational side because the food is worth coming back for. Based on this experience, though, I would avoid peak-season evenings. read more

Great food and service Pleasant staff. Great location and bar. Parking is difficult. Take a left at entrance as there are more spot for cars before the boats. read more

I'm updating my previous review after speaking with one one of with the owners regarding recipe, etc. about crab cakes, soup, rum pirate drinks with a party of 5. I appreciate his willingness to invite us back for a meal! Zachary was a great waiter who patiently answered all of our many questions. Also, enjoyed the live music on the deck. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Skippers punch - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

See all

From Southwest Virginia to North Carolina the best food. If you like seafood this is the place. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - From Southwest Virginia, Honaker Virginia to North Carolina eating at the best of the best. - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

See all

I love this place!!!!!! The food is always amazing. The staff is so kind!! The music during dinner with a calm radiate summer sunset!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Last night I went with my family to Rusty Hooks. Never been! Our waitress Morgan was top notch! She was quick and efficient with our orders. Very attentive young lady. Great experience thanks to her! I recommend everyone ask for Morgan's tables!!! read more

We were visiting friends and they took us to this wonderful restaurant! The seafood was so fresh and perfectly cooked. We had a fabulous server We sat outside by the water and the ambiance was also amazing! We will definitely return! read more

The Great Food, Great Staff, Live Bands, Outdoor Seating, on the ICW watching the boats go by. Whats not to Love about this Great place? Watching the sunset too, looking toward the Old Oak Island Bridge! Mother nature paints quite a lovely picture every night, and this is a destination to enjoy all here Beauty! read more

Made reservations for Sat 6th for 5:45. Upon arrival we were promptly led to an inside table, asked for outside seating and fortunately were able to be promptly seated on the deck with a pleasant view of intercoastal waterway ond boat traffic. Band played nice mix of music, service was great. Cocktails were prompt and reasonably priced. Ordered the Chipoli, thanks to Chef Dan for an excellent dish and my wife's order of Fish & Chips was large enough to provide her lunch for today. Prices were not cheap but you are paying for the food, service and the waterfront location. Checked all the boxes, will definitely return. read more

This was only the second time we have been, but it was fabulous again. They have plenty of outdoor seating which we prefer and the wait staff was fabulous, and the food was delicious. read more

Love Rusty Hooks. Always a good experience. Food and service is good and the view is very pretty!

The food was delicious! I got the shrimp po boy, and my husband got the burger. Both were very good. Servers were hopping. The music was a little loud for conversation, but decent. All familiar tunes that we hummed and sung along with. read more

Eh, food was very very average, not great, service was a bit dodgy, SUPER EXPENSIVE, especially for what you get. The shrimp wasnt good especially for down here, cold and dirty... Nice view and music, coacktails were good. Don't think I'll eat here ever again but maybe get a drink. read more

Best filet ever! Always wonderful wait staff! Everyone is friendly and beautiful views when eating!

Food and service was great! Our waitress went above and beyond to make our meal experience a great one! Live music was a little loud because we happened to be sitting right in front of the speakers but still was a fun night! read more

Went for a quick drink and light dinner. The bar menu was interesting with quite unique cocktails and mocktails. I had a bowl of the cream of crab soup which was excellent. read more

My wife and I have eaten here a dozen times or so over the last five years, always had a good experience. The food is high quality for casual dining. Tonight the initial dining was fine. Met a friend and his wife and enjoyed a nice sit down meal. When I went to the bar to order take out for the wife the problems started. I ordered the food and a beer. I asked for and paid the tab and left a generous tip of %25. For the next 30 minutes not only did I not see any food, but neither bartender offered to check or even made eye contact. The 18 year old who claimed to be the senior manager on site when I complained was no help at all. Won't be recommending this place to out of towners anymore! read more

See all

We were a group of six seated upstairs and were told there would be great views, but unfortunately you really couldn't see anything unless you stood up while eating. The waitstaff was wonderful--friendly and attentive--but the crab cakes were disappointing. We were told they'd be made with no filler, yet they tasted fishy and seemed mostly filler with a few chunks of crab, especially surprising at nearly $40. Might be better not to set that expectation if it can't be delivered. read more

This place is fabulous! Coastal casual! Came in for a quick bite with a friend, ended up ordering 2 desserts. Key Lime was amazing as was the raspberry cheesecake. Aimee our server was full of sass and class! See you soon Aimee- thank you for the great experience! :) read more

Excellent service, great view and all the food was excellent! From fried pickles, crab soup, salmon wrap, fish & chips, pick 2, mussels, blackened shrimp and OMG, the Key Lime Pie!! read more

We love Rusty Hughes! All the food is fresh and prepared properly and great entertainment, and the staff is wonderful! They go out of the way to make you feel special! read more

Great food! Great atmosphere! Great live band! We had a fabulous experience tonight at the Rusty Hook!! Ryan & Grant were great waiters- loved their energy-hardworking! read more

Although I LOVE this place, I am beyond disappointed that we would be put on a waitlist when HALF or more of the place is EMPTY! Not even asking for deck seating to hear the music. The food s consistently good and the bar waitstaff is always phenomenal. Cannot say the same for their "seating" hosts and hostesses. read more

Our overall experience at Rusty Hooks was pretty good! The customer service was excellent & everyone was helpful. We had about 45 minute wait for our food, which wasn't too bad since everything came out fresh. Food could have been seasoned a little more but overall, the food was delish. The restaurant provided lots of seating both inside and out. read more

See all

Great location on the water. Friendly and helpful staff. Food was standard fare, nothing that stood out as exceptional. Prices on the high side. Inside space and outside deck are very nice. read more

Food is nothing special, and the wait time was triple the estimated time, it also has a bunch of rich people with 500 yachts, if you want good food go to McDonald's or something else. Service was terrible btw, also ambiance was pretty good I guess except it was hot and everyone sweated and smelt like a sardine read more

Friendly staff, delicious food and beautiful outside deck!! Beautiful view of the intracoastal waterway and live music!!

Visited due to CVMA state meeting and husband selected this spot from online due to my extensive food allergies. Corn any derivative Gluten/wheat/barley/oat/rye Almond Soybean Eggs Milk /dairy Peanut They were extremely accommodating, working to insure that I was able to eat a delicious safe meal of Snow crab legs and asparagus. It was the absolute highlight of my weekend. Yes, it was more expensive than most places. However, often this is the case for fresh preparation nowadays. The view from the pier was so serene, truly melting my stress away. The staff was phenomenal, extremely kind, attentive and was definitely a plus for the visit. Highly recommend this local spot for a experience to remember. We look forward to returning when we are in the area. Thank you! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Cute waterside restaurant. Carissa was an excellent waitress....attentive and pleasant. Hubs and I both got the nightly special which was a lightly blackened red drum fresh catch. The meal was nothing short of outstanding! It was so good! We also had the crab dip which was delicious as well. I do think the dip was overpriced but it was still delicious. If vacationing here again, we would come back. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Blackened Red Drum - AMAZING! - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

A few years ago we tried this restaurant. It was awful service and food. We were told it was much better now. It was delicious!! Will be returning. read more

We waited over an hour for our food. The kitchen was behind. Crazy. The management had to come around and apologize. Disorganization

The food here is excellent. I ordered fish and chips. The fish was coated in a well-seasoned, very tasty batter and the fish inside was moist and flaked easily. When paired with an ice-cold draft beer (there are quite a few to choose from), I was in fishy heaven! read more

Service and management were all lovely! Food was the best we've had on our oak island trip, live band was great and atmosphere was amazing!

Wow! We found this gem of a restaurant on a road trip. Food was excellent and the service was even better. Kayla made us feel right at home. Great service and recommendations. read more

The crab cakes are still my favorite. The husband ordered the mahi special and it was bland. One of my kids ordered the chicken tenders and he ate all of them and said they were very good. read more

Food was excellent service was good the atmosphere was relaxing and pleasant ,next time we will return